The building swallowed sound the moment they crossed the threshold.

The Cathedral of the Five, a building built to worship all Five Gods equally—a symbol of trust and unification amongst followers.

And also where the biggest event would take place.

Stone pillars rose like a forest of pale marble. Light poured in from high stained windows, refracted into muted colors that washed over the floor without settling anywhere for long.

Ryn adjusted his stride unconsciously.

His black coat swayed with him as he tugged once at his gloves. He wasn't used to wearing such tightly fit and fancy clothing.

Nonetheless, the occasion called for it…and avoiding Amelia's nagging if he hadn't.

Speaking of—Amelia walked half a step ahead, her presence parting the flow of everyone in the halls without effort. A few bowed their heads while others simply stepped aside.

That was the amount of presence she brought to the table.

As they approached the gilded doors of the East Wing, Ryn noticed how the guards straightened.

The space opened into a long chamber lined with dark wood and pale stone, banners bearing the Gremory crest hanging in precise intervals. A wide table dominated the center, already occupied.

A dozen nobles stood or sat around it—men and women in layered finery, their conversations tapering off as Amelia entered.

This time, they were the last to arrive.

Some offered polite nods. Others didn't bother masking their surprise. An expression plastered all over their faces as they greeted, obviously saying:

Why is he here?

…Right.

This was the part he'd hoped to postpone.

Amelia took her place without hesitation, acknowledging several nobles with brief inclines of her head.

Ryn followed half a step behind, stopping only when the seating arrangement made it clear he was meant to remain standing—for now.

The doors at the far end of the chamber opened with quiet finality.

Princess Taylor Gremory entered.

The room shifted immediately. Noise died down and backs straightened. Even those who hadn't been paying attention found themselves doing so without quite realizing why.

Taylor moved to the head of the table without ceremony and rested her hands lightly against its surface.

"We'll begin," she said.

No preamble. No acknowledgment of late arrivals.

Her gaze passed over the nobles once, then settled briefly on Amelia before turning back to the table.

And then, for the first time, on Ryn.

Her attendants flooded into the room, carrying maps, documents, permits—all types of papers were being distributed around the room.

"I have new information regarding the Hero's Path," Taylor continued. "Enough that the current assumptions no longer apply."

Several nobles leaned in despite themselves.

"The Path will not be centralized," she said.

"There will be no single trial ground…instead, it is a competition across the world."

She gestured, and one of the aides at the wall stepped forward, unrolling the largest map across the table.

Cities bloomed into view, trade hubs, border towns, places that mattered precisely because they were inconvenient.

"With the agreement of the other four races," Taylor continued.

"The Path will be centered around the five major locations."

Taylor's hand moved to the northernmost marker.

"First," she said, "Dheam."

"The Kingdom of Beastfolk—if it can even be called that," Taylor continued evenly.

"It lies far to the north. Beyond anything humans have ever built."

Her finger traced the upper edge of the map.

"The north is cold," she said. "Brutally so. Long winters. Short harvests. Sparse infrastructure."

She didn't elaborate.

She didn't need to.

"And more importantly," Taylor went on, "it borders territories where monsters are not an anomaly—but a constant."

Several nobles frowned.

"Dheam is under near-continuous monster pressure," she said.

"Raids. Migrations. Periodic surges. Some years are worse than others. Some years are barely survivable."

She paused, letting that settle.

"It is not a kingdom in the conventional sense. Dheam functions as a collective, bound together by necessity rather than law."

Taylor's hand moved next, tapping a marker embedded deep within the south-eastern mountain ranges from Dheam.

"Khaz Vordun," she said.

Unlike Dheam, the name carried weight.

"The Dwarven Kingdom," Taylor continued. "A unified state and complete opposite of Dheam."

Several nobles straightened slightly.

"And also," she added, "a kingdom in decline."

That drew attention.

"Khaz Vordun's lifeblood is manalite," Taylor said, her finger tracing a network of lines beneath the mountains.

"Veins that fuel their forges, their constructs, their industry—and much of the continent's infrastructure."

She paused.

"Those veins are dwindling."

A murmur rippled through the chamber.

"The depletion has been gradual," Taylor went on. "Subtle enough to ignore at first. But the signs are no longer deniable."

Ryn watched the reactions carefully.

This wasn't news, but hearing it stated this plainly changed things.

She gestured to the map again.

"Craftsman guilds are clashing over access. Old alliances are fraying. Innovation has turned desperate. Shortages have already begun to affect external trade."

A noble spoke quietly, "They're hoarding."

She folded her hands behind her back.

"In Khaz Vordun, brute force solves nothing," she said. "This'll be a hard challenge."

Taylor let the silence sit for a moment longer than necessary.

Then her hand withdrew from the map.

"The remaining locations," she said, "will not be disclosed at this time."

A few heads lifted.

One noble frowned openly. "Not even internally?"

Taylor's gaze flicked to him. "Especially internally."

That shut him up.

"Two of the five regions fall outside conventional governance," she continued. "Their participation has been… conditional."

She didn't elaborate.

"They will be revealed once the Path is underway," Taylor said. "...according to the Five Popes."

She turned back to the map, fingers resting lightly against the table's edge.

"The purpose of these locations," she said, "is not symbolic."

She let that sit.

"Hero Candidates are expected to intervene. Not as rulers but problem solvers."

She gestured toward the markers again.

"Monster outbreaks. Criminal syndicates. Trade disputes. Unresolved conflicts between factions," she continued.

"Whatever instability already exists in these regions—candidates have the right, and may address it."

"A Hero who arrives, postures, and leaves," Taylor continued evenly, "will gain nothing."

Ryn listened carefully.

So presence alone wasn't enough.

Results mattered.

"Each city maintains a supporter registry," Taylor said. "Public. Verified. Participation varies by region, but the principle remains consistent."

She tapped the table once.

"Trust is tallied."

A murmur rippled through the chamber.

"All of it is recorded."

Ryn exhaled quietly.

So it really was a campaign.

Just one with real consequences.

Taylor's gaze lifted.

"All tallies will be finalized in Aster."

That earned full attention.

"The capital of Raias will serve as the Path's final destination," she said. "Where results are reviewed, disputes resolved, and the Blessing Enhancement is awarded."

She straightened.

"By the time a candidate returns to Aster," Taylor finished, "their reputation should already precede them."

A pause followed Taylor's last words.

Not the thoughtful kind.

The expectant kind.

One of the nobles cleared his throat.

"Your Highness," a senior noble said carefully, "Gremory has yet to declare a Hero Candidate."

Several others nodded, some subtly, some not bothering to hide it.

"This structure is sound," another added, "but without a candidate, we are merely observers."

Taylor didn't bristle.

She didn't rush to answer either.

"That decision will be made later today," she replied. "At the audience with the Five Popes."

A ripple of quiet confusion passed through the chamber.

Before anyone could press further, Taylor continued.

"That decision has not yet been finalized," Taylor continued evenly. "Nor should it be. Not until all information is presented."

Ryn knew what she was doing. It was a dodge.

And clean one too, he might add.

She went on, as if anticipating the next objection.

"But…this is the most important rule of the Path."

The room stilled.

"Hero Candidates do not need to go forth alone. Each faction will be permitted to send four individuals as part of their candidate's party."

The rule was not unexpected, yet still sent mutters across the room.

Taylor turned her gaze.

"Lady Amelia Grandal," Taylor said.

The room reacted instantly.

Not with surprise—

With confusion.

Several nobles stiffened. A few exchanged sharp looks.

"Amelia?"

Then—

A pause.

Taylor did not say Hero Candidate.

She let the silence stretch.

"You will serve as part of the party," Taylor finished.

The chamber fractured.

"What?"

"Then who's—"

"She's not the Hero Candidate—?"

Amelia rose smoothly, expression composed but unmistakably firm.

"I accept," she said.

She sat back down.

And just like that, the assumption the room had walked in with collapsed.

If Amelia was not the Hero—

Then Gremory had no declared candidate at all.

Taylor didn't give them time to recover.

"I will also attend."

That landed harder.

Several nobles froze outright.

"Your Highness—" someone started.

"I am aware," Taylor said calmly. "And I am certain."

A Crown Princess did not join a Hero's Path unless something was deeply wrong, or intentional.

The silence that followed was no longer confusion.

It was alarm.

Then Taylor turned her gaze to the far side of the table.

"Jay Ferris."

The name landed—and slid.

No recognition stirred the room. No murmurs followed. Just a brief, confused stillness as several nobles glanced around, searching for context that didn't exist.

Ryn felt his thoughts derail.

…Jay?

He didn't move. Didn't react outwardly.

But his mind stalled hard.

How does she know that name?

Jay wasn't a Gremory noble…no, he was a Lumen orphan. There's no possible way the princess would know about Jay.

Ryn hadn't told her.

He was certain of that.

Beside him, Amelia's composure cracked, just slightly.

Her gaze flicked toward Ryn before she could stop herself.

Taylor continued as if nothing were amiss.

"An alchemist," she said. "Unaffiliated."

That didn't help.

It made it worse.

Ryn's pulse ticked faster.

"He will serve as the third member," Taylor finished.

The nobles reacted then…but it was shallow confusion.

A few frowns. A few raised brows.

They didn't understand the implications.

Ryn did.

Amelia did.

Amelia leaned slightly toward him, voice barely above a breath.

"…Ryn," she murmured. "Did you—?"

"No," he replied immediately.

She stilled.

That answer scared her more than hesitation would have.

Taylor let the moment sit—long enough for discomfort to spread unevenly through the chamber.

Then she moved on.

"And finally," she said, turning her gaze back toward the right side of the table.

Toward him.

"Ryn Eden Arctis."

The room reacted sharply this time. Confusion turned into offense, disbelief tightening into scrutiny.

"These four," Taylor said evenly, "will accompany Gremory's Hero Candidate once that candidate is chosen."

A breath passed.

"Additionally," she continued, as if remembering a minor detail, "command structure will be established in advance."

That drew attention back to her.

"A party without hierarchy is inefficient," Taylor said. "Especially under public scrutiny."

She turned her gaze—not to Amelia.

To Ryn.

"Ryn Eden Arctis will serve as Captain of the party."

The room broke silently. Everyone had the same reaction on their faces, but the Princess glared them down one by one.

Then she folded her hands behind her back.

"That will be all."

Chairs scraped softly as nobles stood, conversations restarting in low, careful tones. They clustered instinctively.

Ryn remained where he was.

Captain.

The word refused to settle.

He became aware of movement beside him—Amelia rising, pausing just long enough to glance at him before following the others. Her expression was composed, but her eyes held the same question burning through his own thoughts.

What just happened?

The Princess was joining as a Party member. She had somehow known about Jay—

And worst of all…

She had declared Ryn to the rest of the world.

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